Sutton picks development partner for town centre regeneration scheme

Sutton Council has signed Genr8 Kajima Regeneration as the development partner for its town centre regeneration project. The plans for the St Nicholas Shopping Centre, Civic Offices, Gibson Road Car Park and Secombe Theatre sites will see a new Civic Hub open in the heart of the south London town centre, which is scheduled to be completed by mid-2029. The council bought the St Nicholas Shopping Centre in 2021 as a key strategic asset in the town centre to enable development in line with its regeneration ambitions.  The proposed project will also deliver 740 new homes, 50% of which will be affordable housing for local families, including nearly 300 homes for social rent which will be built on the existing Civic Offices, Gibson Road Car Park and Secombe Theatre sites. It will comprise 10 acres of development opportunity, with capacity for 180,000 sq ft of commercial space. The borough appointed Montagu Evans to find a partner for the project in October 2023.  Sutton Council leader Barry Lewis said: “This exciting scheme is a key part of our ambitious plans to build a vibrant and sustainable town centre for all Sutton residents. “These plans will give our residents a new ‘front door’ to the council and our partners right on the High Street. We want to create a place that is open to everyone in the community, all day and evening. New retail, leisure and community uses in the St Nicholas Shopping Centre will provide more choice and improve the long-term future of our main town centre. “This scheme will also mean no new blocks on the high street and some mid-rise new development on the Civic Centre and Gibson Road Car Park sites. Meanwhile, local families will gain much-needed new social housing to support them through the national housing crisis.” Sunita Gordon, lead member for resources at Sutton Council, said: “The council had the vision to purchase the St Nicholas Shopping Centre in 2021 to take control of this key site’s future and ensure that it contributed to the wider regeneration of the town centre. “The world of work is changing, and the council’s needs are changing with it. This is a real opportunity to create a smaller civic centre that meets the highest environmental standards, helping us to take action on climate change while also reducing the council’s operating costs. “The council has chosen a development partner with the right level of skills, resources, experience and expertise to deliver our ambitions for these key sites. I am excited for the future of Sutton that these plans will deliver.” Image from Sutton Council